Tustin Ranch Road extension a regional boost

What's up next?

Various future developments are planned for Tustin Legacy, or former Marine base, including housing, schools, stores and a sprawling "linear" park. What's up next in terms of building infrastructure on the old base?

Barranca Parkway is under construction as the city widens the road from three lanes to four in the westbound direction and improves the underground flood control channel. Construction is expected to wrap up in the second quarter of 2014, said Ken Nishikawa, deputy public works director.

Warner Avenue will be extended from Tustin Ranch Road to Red Hill Avenue, and Armstrong Avenue will be extended from Barranca Parkway to Warner Avenue. The Irvine Co. is working on part of the Warner Avenue extension, and the city will likely start its construction in spring/summer 2014, Nishikawa said.

Source: City of Tustin

If you go

What: Mayor Al Murray and City Council members will drive classic cars down the bridge to the District shopping center; members of Beckman High School's marching band will perform; restaurants and stores at the District will provide refreshments and prizes.

Where: Parking will be on the southbound side of the bridge. Enter from Walnut Avenue and Tustin Ranch Road.

When: Saturday, 9-11 a.m.

Who: Pedestrians and bicycles only, no cars. The road extension opens to cars on Sunday.

Contact: RSVP to cityclerk@tustinca.org or 714-573-3026 if you would like to attend.

Source: City of Tustin

By the numbers

1.4 miles

Length of extension of Tustin Ranch Road, from Walnut to Warner avenues.

333

Trees planted along the road extension.

130,000

Square feet of sidewalk.

1 million

Pounds of reinforcing steel in the Edinger Avenue bridge overcrossing.

$41 million

Total cost of construction.

2 years

Of construction, from September 2011 to November 2013.

Source: City of Tustin Public Works

Graphics

After 40 years of planning, the extension of Tustin Ranch Road will open to traffic Sunday, offering a route that connects directly to The District shopping center.

City officials, who described the road as “quad-ruple bypass surgery,” expect it to offer a convenient drive from I-5 to The District and ease traffic on popular nearby routes such as Jamboree Road.

The 1.4-mile segment includes six lanes connecting Warner and Walnut avenues through the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. The road is expected to be traversed by 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles a day, according to Doug Stack, Tustin's director of public works.

The $41 million road has three traffic lanes and a bike lane in each direction, as well as a sidewalk on the east side. The cost includes construction for side-street connections, including Valencia Avenue from Kensington Park Drive and the new Victory Road from Park Avenue. Traffic signals have been installed on Tustin Ranch Road at the intersections of Valencia Avenue and Victory Road.

The extension includes a bridge on Edinger Avenue, with vast steel railings designed to echo the arches of the hangars and the Tustin Legacy logo, according to Ken Nishikawa, deputy director of public works and Tustin Legacy development services manager. An additional turn lane has been installed on Walnut Avenue at the Tustin Ranch Road intersection, and lanes on the existing road have been reconfigured to match the new portion, Nishikawa said.

Tustin Ranch Road's official opening Sunday will take place after a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday morning on the Edinger bridge.

For some, the connection is a more convenient way to get some shopping done. For others, the major road has been imagined and expected for years.

“It's going to allow so much more connectivity north and south, not only for the community around it but for the region of central Orange County,” Stack said.

HISTORIC LINK

When discussions began for the road extension, gas was 34 cents a gallon.

In 1970, the extension of Tustin Ranch Road was initially brought up, according to city documents. At the time, Tony Coco was mayor and Clifton C. Miller was a councilman. In 1981, Tustin and Irvine amended their general plans to incorporate the road extension into circulation plans. But because the Marine base was still active, the road couldn't extend beyond Edinger Avenue, Stack explained. It wasn't until the base was closed in the late 1990s that the extension became a possibility.

In 1996, the city adopted a reuse plan for Tustin Legacy, the site of the former air station, to guide the site's development.

“Once we took over the Marine Corps base and got more fully enveloped with this plan, then it was all about financing,” City Manager Jeff Parker said.

The state's dissolution of redevelopment agencies in 2011 threw a wrench into funding for the project. With more than $30 million in bonds on hold, the city had to find other funding sources, Nishikawa said.

Construction began in September 2011, with $17 million of storm drain and grading work. Phase 2 – building the Edinger bridge and installing the road – cost $24 million.

Related Links

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.